Last week, I was in Amsterdam for the annual academic colloquium of the International Baptist Theological Study Center. Among the scholars present there was my friend Fyodor Raychynets, a distinguished Baptist pastor and theologian, and a leader of the Ukrainian…
Dr. Fortune’s vision of educational equality
In 2010, I arrived for my interview with an educator. Brushing raindrops off my tan trench coat, I was directed to a room where several folks were seated. This panel would determine if I’d be a good match as their…
Amid quantum leaps of change, we’re experiencing enlightenment despair
For the past several decades, our world has experienced quantum leaps of change on its perspective of itself and the universe in greater degrees than ever before in human history, and we are reacting with whiplash anxiety. The new James…
Tom Brady may be the NFL’s “GOAT,” but he’s a lousy theologian
Try imagining what it’s like to be Tom Brady, who announced his retirement — for the second time — last week. In the National Football League, the 45-year-old quarterback is the Greatest of All Time. Nobody else has played in…
“What’s the one book I should read on anti-racism?’
I gave a talk for the Alliance of Baptists’ educational emphasis on anti-racism not long ago. Someone in the audience asked me to choose the one book I thought they should read. Immediately, I said, “Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider.” When…
How a medical emergency during worship showed love in action
We had a medical emergency last Sunday during our gathering at Restore. It was one of those “they don’t teach you this in seminary” moments. I was in the middle of preaching when I looked over and saw that someone…
Three images to remember Tyre Nichols
The video has been released. Seven officers have been terminated and five charged. The Scorpion Unit has been disbanded. Two EMTs have been terminated along with a supervisor. The district attorney says more charges may be forthcoming. The attorney for…
The state murder of Tyre Nichols
Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison. — Mark 6:27 On the day we write this post, during the week Tyre Nichols was buried…
Title 42, congregations and the sojourner
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the “Remain in Mexico” border policy could be reversed by the Biden administration, specifically through the Department of Homeland Security. This Trump-era policy had forced migrants to remain in Mexico while their…
The truth about police brutality
Leadership is a privilege. It is not a right. I wonder when we will get that through our thick skulls. Jesus said rather plainly, “To whom much is given, much is required,” which underlines the differentiated, increased expectations that come…
Biblical orthodoxy 2023: Sign or get ‘churched’
In Giving Glory to God in Appalachia: Worship Practices of Six Baptist Subdenominations, the late Appalachian State University professor Howard Dargan observed: One ceases to be a member of a local Primitive (Baptist) church by being dismissed by letter to…
Jesus and Buddha are talking with me about loving and blessing my enemies
I seem to have a larger list of enemies these days, those I find it harder to love and bless. But Jesus is insistent about how we relate to our enemies: “You have heard it was said ‘You shall love…